Alternatives · Note-Taking

Concepts alternatives

As of Nov 12, 2026, the highest-graded Concepts alternative is Goodnotes (3.6 GPA). It's also the best free one.

Concepts compared with 5 alternatives: Goodnotes, Notability, Noteful, Squid and CollaNote.

Concepts has a free plan. Paid plans start at $29.99 per year, or $4.99 per month (Pro). All 5 alternatives are free or have a free plan.

Listings checked up to Nov 12, 2026 · Where the facts come from

Black Friday: is there a Concepts sale?

At a glance

Tool	Price	Free plan	Runs on
ConceptsThis tool	Free plan · from $29.99/yr	Yes	Windows, iOS, Android
Goodnotes	Free plan · from $11.99/yr	Yes	Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android
Notability	Free plan · from $14.99/yr	Yes	Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android
Noteful	Free plan · from $6.99 one-time	Yes	iOS
Squid	Free plan · from $1.00	Yes	Android
CollaNote	Free plan · from $13.90 one-time	Yes	macOS, iOS

Price against what you get

Concepts starts at $2.50 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. 2 of the 2 alternatives on this chart score higher and start lower: Goodnotes and Notability.

Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged

What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →

The best score at each price
Has a free plan
No free plan

The full chart of note-taking apps, and the best at every price

How each one differs from Concepts

Goodnotes
Handwritten notes, PDF markup and whiteboards with an AI assistant
- Goodnotes starts at $11.99 per year (Essential).
- Goodnotes also lists a web app and a macOS app.
- Goodnotes can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Goodnotes also covers transcription.
- Goodnotes does not cover diagrams, which Concepts does.
Suits: Handwritten notes on an iPad with Apple Pencil
Goodnotes vs Concepts Goodnotes pricing and details
Notability
Handwritten notes with synced audio, transcripts and AI study tools
- Notability starts at $14.99 per year, or $4.99 per month (Lite).
- Notability also lists a web app and a macOS app.
- Notability can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Notability also covers transcription and templates.
- Notability does not cover whiteboard and diagrams, which Concepts does.
Suits: Students recording lectures alongside handwritten notes
Notability vs Concepts Notability pricing and details
Noteful
Handwritten notes and PDF markup for iPad, with tags and layers
- Noteful starts at $6.99 one-time purchase (Noteful Pro, Lifetime).
- Noteful lists no Android and Windows apps, which Concepts has.
- Noteful can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Noteful does not cover whiteboard and diagrams, which Concepts does.
Suits: iPad users who write with Apple Pencil and prefer to pay once
Noteful vs Concepts Noteful pricing and details
Squid
Handwritten notes and PDF markup for Android and Chromebooks
- Squid starts at $1.00 - $14.99 per in-app item on Google Play; billing basis not shown.
- Squid lists no iOS and Windows apps, which Concepts has.
- Squid does not cover diagrams, which Concepts does.
Suits: Students and teachers writing by hand on Android tablets or Chromebooks
Squid vs Concepts Squid pricing and details
CollaNote
Handwriting and PDF markup notes for iPad, iPhone and Mac
- CollaNote starts at $13.90 one-time (Lifetime Premium).
- CollaNote also lists a macOS app.
- CollaNote lists no Android and Windows apps, which Concepts has.
- CollaNote can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- CollaNote also covers transcription and templates.
Suits: Students handwriting notes on an iPad with Apple Pencil
CollaNote vs Concepts CollaNote pricing and details

Limits worth knowing in Concepts

Several features, including custom brushes, objects and presentation mode, are marked iOS only; the vendor says other platforms are catching up.
The pages list iOS, Android, ChromeOS and Windows; no Mac or web app is listed, and a cross-platform release is marked as coming soon.
One-time purchases apply only to the platform where they were bought.
The site says prices vary by region and points to each app store for the exact figure.

Concepts pricing and details

Common questions

What are the alternatives to Concepts?

The alternatives to Concepts in this directory are Goodnotes, Notability, Noteful, Squid and CollaNote. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with Concepts.

Is there a free alternative to Concepts?

Yes. Goodnotes, Notability, Noteful, Squid and CollaNote have a free plan alongside paid ones.

Which Concepts alternatives work on macOS?

The Concepts listing does not include a macOS app. Goodnotes, Notability and CollaNote list one.

When were these prices checked?

Each listing shows its own date. On this page they run from Oct 6, 2026 to Nov 12, 2026. Vendors change prices without notice, so confirm on their site before you buy.

How this page was made

Where any alternative here is in our top three note-taking apps, the best for most people is the highest placed of them: the top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades. Otherwise the page names the highest-graded alternative in the same category as Concepts, the one its listing names first winning a tie. The best free one is the highest-graded alternative that is free or has a free plan (a free trial does not count), with its catch quoted from its listing where the listing states a short one. The GPA is the average of our five grades for each tool.
The alternatives are the tools Concepts’s listing names as its closest substitutes, and the tools whose listings name Concepts.
Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing, which names the pages they were read from.
The differences are worked out from those listings.
The chart sets each tool’s starting price against our own grades for features, ease of use and platforms.

Read the method All note-taking apps

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